BULLDOGBULLETIN FALL/WINTER 2025
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•P age 6: Father son build bond on soccer field •P age 7: Bachura named Teacher of the Year •P age 10: Culinary going to Disney World •P age 11: FCA impacting Baldwin City •P age 13: Coach, teacher, father enjoys being in Baldwin City
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A message from the Superintendent Dear Baldwin Families, As the first semester comes to a close, I want to wish everyone a wonderful and relaxing holiday season. I hope that each of you can enjoy the additional time with your friends and family. Heading into 2026, I’m excited for what is to come. I’m so very proud of our students and staff for all of their hard work. We are excited for another year of collaboration between Kit Harris’s Journalism class at Baldwin High School and the Lawrence Journal-World. This partnership allows students who may be seeking journalism as a potential career a
Mark Dodge
platform to have their work published and shared with the Baldwin community. We hope you enjoy the creative and journalistic talents of our students, while also learning more about what is taking place in Baldwin Schools.
In closing, Baldwin continues to be a wonderful place to raise a family. This is true in large part due to the pride that each community member has for this amazing community. As we work to provide our students with meaningful and enriching experiences, we want you to know our goal is to continue to ensure each student is prepared to “positively impact the world through academic, social-emotional, and behavioral success.’ This is what #BaldwinBuilt is all about.
ON THE COVER: The BHS dancers were a highlight performing at halftime of the home football games this Fall. The Dance team is coached by Stephani Howarter. Find it on usd348.com •S chool Calendar •B reakfast & Lunch Menus •P owerSchool Login •S tudent & Parent Tech Resources Baldwin City USD 348 715 Chapel St., P.O. Box 67 Baldwin City, KS 66006 The Bulldog Bulletin is a biannual magazine which includes content provided by the Baldwin High School journalism class and is produced by the Lawrence Journal-World. To advertise in this magazine, contact advertising@ljworld.com
Respectfully, Mark Dodge Superintendent Baldwin USD 348
Preparing students to positively impact the word through academic, social-emotional, and behavioral success. #BaldwinBuilt 3
TABLE of Contents 5...... Kirk is Back & Valentine Returns 6...... Father Son Build on Soccer Bond 7...... Teacher of the Year & Trap Team 8...... Classroom Awards to District Teachers 9...... Boxterman Thriving in Second Year 10.... .Scholars Bowl & Culinary Raising Money for Disney World 11.... FCA Impact in Baldwin City 12.... Ali Peterson Senior Dance Team Captain & Cian Macan, Jazz Band 13.... BHS Cheer Captains & Multi-Sport Coach, Teacher, Father 14.... Applegate’s Passion for Teaching & More than a Teaching Bond 4
Kirk is back at BHS Tehya Burnham
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ichelle Kirk is back at BHS for a second time in her 35 long years of teaching career. She has taught a range of classes, from forensics, not the dead people kind, to speech and English classes. Kirk truly believes that every student should take a fine arts class. She has a degree in music and enjoyed choir in school. “Fine arts are so important because they connect all the different things,” Kirk said. Kirk teaches Honors Nine English and the Speech and Communications classes. Kirk’s classroom is located in the Bay, or as Kirk and many students call it, “the Fish Bowl”. Kirk likes where her fishbowl is placed. “This is a really convenient location, I am really close to the restrooms, and
I have wonderful teachers on both sides, as well as being close to all the resources,” Kirk said. The Fish Bowl used to be a conference room that held 5 to 10 people at once, not 25 students and their desks. “The number one disadvantage is that it’s smaller, so it’s tighter and there is no airflow, so it gets a little stuffy sometimes,” Kirk said. Kirk has taught at many schools in her past, one being Baldwin High School. Kirk taught here many moons ago and is back. She was taking a break from teaching when she heard about the poor students who had 3 different teachers in the first few weeks of school. “I felt awful for students who have been at school for three weeks
and have had different teachers, and it seemed like a perfect win, where I can step in, I know the material,” Kirk said, “Students can adjust and settle in because especially for freshmen, shifting from Jr High school is a big step and I feel like that’s something that I’m good at since I have mostly worked with freshmen, so I really enjoy being back in what feels like home.” Kirk decided to come back to Baldwin thanks to our friendliness. “I love how friendly folks are, it’s just a very kind place to be,” Kirk said. “This time feels easier, the first time I was teaching with teachers who were my high school teachers, so that was kinda different.”
Valentine returns to BHS as an athletic director Halia Callahan
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his year Baldwin High School has welcomed a new athletic director, Dayton Valentine. Valentine is an alumni from BHS where he played football. Now he is giving back to BHS athletics with all he has. “I’m looking forward to having someone I grew up with and had the opportunity to play sports with,” assistant football coach Jesse Austin said
“I think he will be able to relate with a lot of things and I know his heart will always want to do the right thing for Baldwin and our kids, because he’s a Baldwin guy. Another person in our district that can say he’s Baldwin Built and understands what kind of culture we are building/upholding for our students.” The homecoming that Valentine had when he decided to come back to Baldwin City helped influence his decision in coming here. “Part of wanting to be the athletic director at Baldwin for me is because Baldwin is a special place,” Valentine said. “I’m from here and also I think sports are a big part of my life. Coming back to Baldwin is kind of special and the fact there is a homecoming.” Previously Valentine coached at Blue Valley Southwest where he was a football coach who was in charge of offense and special teams only. “Being athletic director is a cool opportunity to kind of oversee all sports
and having a hand in helping a number of programs where as previously I was just coaching and it was just that sport,” Valentine said. “So to help more people, and more student athletes I think was what was attractive about being athletic director.” Valentine has big plans for the future of activities and plans on advancing programs the best he can for the future. “I think there are a number of things that we can do just to help out. So I think different things like social media, I think this year I have given coaches access to an easier way to make graphics,” Valentine said. “I plan on doing a media day for each season to let kids have fun and showcase all sports, and then other things like new ideas in terms like budgeting, and how to get programs the things they need, and so I think there are a number of little things starting in the future. Then later to other things like improving facilities.”
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Father Son build on soccer bond with BHS team Kinsley Scott
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layers flood the pitch. Practice commences and tensions run higher with an upcoming game. soccer captain Camden Cox and coach Ryan Cox work together as leaders on the field and as father and son. “Since I have been coached by my dad as long as I have been playing, I really enjoy the connection we have as a player and coach,” Camden said. “I feel like he understands what I respond to better than any other coach I’ve ever had.” Cox has hopes for his players that they are successful. “I want to push every player to be the best version of themselves beyond the sport,” he said. “It is no different with Camden. I want him to be successful on the pitch and accomplish all that he can, but also carry that over to other aspects and be successful there as well.” When choosing the captain for the soccer team, Cox stayed out of it. “I didn’t want anyone thinking that I had influenced what was going on one way or another,” he said. “I’ve seen that happen with other coaches and their kids and I didn’t want that to be us.” Because they have worked with this dynamic for many years, they do not face very many difficulties in separating their time as player and coach from their time as father and son. “We also have a great understanding for how the other operates,” Camden said, “and this allows us to work well together as player and coach.” “I love getting to see players outside of the classroom and the hallways,” Cox said. “Sometimes the person you see in class is not the same person you see on the pitch or court. I love seeing that other side of them and helping to bring that part out a little more.”
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Camden’s favorite thing about soccer is that play is going on with few stoppages, making it easier to stay engaged than most other sports. “I also love the dynamic of the team and learning to rely on one another to produce the best results.” Camden and Coach Cox have worked together for years, and the way they work together is truly one to admire.
Bachura named Teacher of the Year Emmett Wright
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rant Bachura, a teacher at Baldwin High School, won the Teacher of the Year award this past school year. “The moment they announced my name as the recipient of this award, the feelings I felt were of euphoria and honor,” Bachura said. “We have a multitude of highly effective educators in our district and the fact that people nominated me and felt like I was worthy of this award means a lot to me.” “The best aspect of teaching at BHS is the staff I have the privilege of working with each day and the wonderful students that we have. We truly do have the best students and they make each day something I look forward to,” Bachura Said. Bachura has had a long line of family members who were past
teachers. “You could say teaching is in my blood, my mom taught in the same school district for 30+ years, and both of her parents were educators,” Bachura said. “I grew up observing the profound impact they had on their community, school, and students and it was a path I wanted to continue. My grandpa, who was a teacher, coach, principal, and superintendent, was one of my biggest role models growing up.
He was the smartest and most genuine person I ever met and I wanted to follow in his footsteps.” In addition to being a high school teacher, Bachura serves as an assistant football coach and the head baseball coach at the high school level. “Coaching means seeing the students I have in class in a different environment, which I really enjoy,” Bachura said. “Coaching both of them is a huge time commitment, which means a lot of time away from my family, but they are very accepting of my passion for coaching.” Before teaching at BHS, Bachura taught at Santa Fe Trail High School. “Each job presents its own challenges, but I am glad to be back in the high school classroom and have the opportunity to be the head baseball coach at BHS, which I didn’t have at my last job,” Bachura said.
Trap team finishes strong Emmett Wright
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he Baldwin trap team wrapped up an impressive season, finishing second in the conference and placing 4 shooters in the top 100 statewide. Leading the team were Hunter Jatala (8th in the state), Ozzy Nue (12th), Oscar Lamb (62nd), and Aiden Soper (72nd). In the conference standings, Baldwin took third place, with Hunter Jatala taking 1st overall and Ozzy Nue taking 3rd. Jatala led the team and the conference with an average of 24.30 hit targets. Freshman Oscar Lamb earned
12th place in the conference and third on the team, averaging 23.20 hit targets. Eighth grader Ozzy Neu stood out as one of the youngest competitors, finishing second on the team with a 24.20 average and third in the conference. “I feel pretty good about this season, but I think I could have done better,” Neu said. Neu also succeeded at the state level, finishing 12th in the state in the high school clay target league, an impressive finish for just an eighth
grader. “I feel good about my placement this year, but I know that I could have gotten a better placement,” Neu said. Even after a strong season, Neu is already looking ahead with bigger and better goals. “My goals for next season are to have at least a 24.7 average and to get top 5 in the conference,” Neu said.
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Classroom Awards to District Teachers Colleen Steadham
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ig awards given out for teacher grant requests. Each year the Baldwin Education Foundation has teachers apply for grants. They will then go through their applications and the BEF trustees will vote on which grants should be granted. “The Baldwin Education Foundation’s Board of Trustees spend weeks reviewing all grant applications after grant applications have first been reviewed by district administration. After careful study, BEF Trustees meet to vote on the grants to be funded,” BEF Director Kelley Bethell-Smith said. This program grants teachers from pre-K all the way up to teaching 12th grade. They can ask for their grant to be up to $1,000.
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“Teachers/staff are allowed to apply for any amount of assistance for their innovative project grant up to $1,000. Last year, BEF gave $38,451 in Innovative Project Grants which funded 48 different projects from pre-K through 12th grade,” BethellSmith said. They have added new features to the program last year where one person could add $500 to their total. “A new feature added for the first time this last school year was for the top vote-earning project for each school building (PC, IC, JH, and HS) to receive an additional $500 prize for being the most innovative,” BethellSmith said. Having the Paws Awards Program is good to have not only for the teacher but also for the Baldwin community. “I believe a strong support organization like BEF can make a
direct impact for students, staff, families, and the community by being a passionate champion for our schools. Schools are the heartbeat of small, rural Kansas communities. When BEF can inspire additional investment in a learning culture that values excellence, innovation, and belonging, we help create additional opportunities that are BaldwinBuilt,” Bethel-Smith said. Decision making can take a while to decide which candidates deserve the grant. “The Baldwin Education Foundation’s Board of Trustees spend weeks reviewing all grant applications after grant applications have first been reviewed by district administration. After careful study, BEF Trustees meet to vote on the grants to be funded,” Bethell-Smith said.
Broxterman/Thriving in second year at BHS Lawrence Jenkins
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ross country has always been a big sport at Baldwin High School since 1992, but Thomas Broxterman’s first year of coaching has made it bigger. Now Broxterman is coming back for his second season of cross country and is ready for it. “I just enjoy the atmosphere, the kids, and just enjoy cross country as a sport in general,” Broxterman said. “The kids, just a sport of mental toughness, grit and also we have some times where we have some fun and goofy.” He implements his college coach’s way of teaching into his own by taking the variety of methods he learned and being somewhat hands off while still being supportive and a source of help for his athletes. “I think I learned a variety of coaching methods and my college coach was just kinda motivational but yet he was also somewhat hands off as far as letting us go and run and
giving us what times,” Broxterman said. “And things we needed to hit and planning the workout and then allowing us the freedom to feel like he wasn’t yelling at us or getting mad when we wouldn’t hit times.” He believes that the number one thing that makes him a good cross country coach is communication. “Number 1 is communication for whatever your standard and expectation is because cross country is very individualized and kids are usually on their own whether that’s going for runs or hitting paces and we have a lot of kids getting them to understand what pace they need to be at, the purpose of a workout,” he said. When he is using the mannerisms of his first coach he finds that his second year coaching for Baldwin is going smoothly. “It’s been really good,” Broxterman said. “I think the kids are really starting to buy in and starting to understand what the expectation is and from me and it’s been really smooth and
everyone has an understanding of what has to be done.” This understanding can be traced back to his improvements within the team and their overall relationship between him and the students. “Number one being relationships and for me having a second year to understand the kids especially the kids I didn’t have in class so time to build relationships and connect and understand everybody’s goals and intention and strengths and weaknesses and how I can better coach and help them,” Broxterman said. Even though this season seems to have had improvements since his last season he still wishes to make changes to his runners and set up of the season. “I think being more organized this year as far as knowing how to structure the entire season and in general do some different things to like to set our better runners up whether it’s better workouts or training for certain races they may not get to run so some of those have been kind of the biggest changes for this year,” Broxterman said. With these changes he feels as if the girls cross country team is capable of winning state this year, but this is not the main expectation for the team. Broxterman wants to focus on more of the process of getting better and get his athletes better than they were last year. “The girls are definitely capable of winning the state championship this year, so that’s like the ultimate goal, but I don’t try and focus on results I try and focus on the process and the things I preach at practices doing things the right way, and focusing on what things can we control,” Broxterman said. “Ultimately, every year is just like I want to help every kid to get as good as they can by the end of the year. Whether they come in with no training in the summer or a bunch of training, I just want them to be their best.
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Scholars Bowl Tehya Burnham
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ho doesn’t love Jeopardy? It is a competitive way to test your knowledge. The Scholar’s Bowl team is often described as an extreme version of Jeopardy. “Scholar’s Bowl is an academic competition, something like Jeopardy,” Scholar Bowl Coach Jim Ashcraft said, “Games consist of two teams of 5 players with buzzers competing to see who can answer questions faster. The questions come primarily from academic subjects like ELA, math, and social sciences, but also from categories like current events and sports.” Ashcraft has been coaching for
5 years. He enjoys the thrill of seeing who can hit the buzzer the fastest. He encourages students to step out of their comfort zones and join scholars’ bowls because you don’t have to be smart to be good. “A lot of students have this idea that you have to be super, crazy smart to do it,” Ashcraft said. “They doubt their own knowledge. A ‘decent’ varsity player will know maybe 2 or 3 questions in a typical 16-question game. A ‘good’ player will know 3 or 4. An ‘elite’ varsity player will know 5 to 8 questions per round. So the vast majority of players will actually have no idea of more than half the questions.
That’s why we play as a team and why we try to make squads that cover the different question categories.” Scholar Bowl practices after school, Monday through Thursday. They also have a varsity and a junior varsity competition every week from Oct 20 until Feb 5. Scholars’ bowl is a challenging activity that tests your ability to think on your feet and your attention to small details. Sometimes, you just have to guess based on the information provided in the question. Varsity captain Allison Cramer has been participating in Scholars Bowl for four years now and is excited for her senior year. She loves to celebrate with friends after a great competition. “There are two teams that get asked questions. If you know the question, you buzz in and guess, but if you don’t, there is a short amount of time to talk to teammates,” Cramer said. “This sport has a difficulty level that no other does, and we have a bunch of really smart people who truly work hard to succeed.”
Culinary raising money for Disney World Phyla Gordon
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aldwin High School Culinary class is taking big steps and raising money for a Disney World trip in May of 2026.There will be 9 students going to Disney World for Culinary; Dalton Bertels, Aiden Soper, Xander Johnson, Jordan Wilson, Aftyn Wills, Lauren McCart, Rylee Webb, Austin Chambers, and Gracie Hildebrand. All of these students are in Culinary 3 which is the advanced cooking class which requires three years of culinary beforehand. They are now fundraising $25,000. “Currently we are fundraising for our trip to Disney world where we will cook with professional chefs in Epcot,” Hildebrand said. “We are continuing our fundraising process and are planning to make cookies for Baker and make freezer meals for the community.” Taking this trip means that this is
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a lot of hard work to cook and to bake for the community. They have to raise a lot of money to be able to cook with the cooks at Disney World. Student Austin Chambers has also been in Culinary since his freshman year. “We’re asking for donations from the school district, doing a few sales throughout the year,” Chambers said. “Hopefully hosting a few events like a fancy dinner night.” Their teacher Caylee Tannahill has
been teaching Culinary for 3 years here in Baldwin. “Mrs. Tannahill is definitely one of my favorite teachers,” said Hildebrand. “She is always there when someone needs help no matter what it is, I appreciate all she has done for me in her years here at BHS and will be sad to leave after this year. The upcoming classes definitely have a great Culinary teacher.” Student Rylee Webb is the only Junior in Culinary 3. She has taken every culinary class that she has been able to get up to this moment. “Being the only junior in Culinary 3 is really cool for me,” Webb said “I love working with the seniors in my class and I’m going to be really sad when they graduate. I am very excited to go to Disney World. I can’t wait to gain culinary experience from professionals in the industry and get to meet people from all over the country.”
FCA Impact in Baldwin City Sutton Drummond
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ellowship of Christain Athletes is a club at Baldwin High School. It started 5 years ago with only a small huddle of 15 students. Multiple people contributed to making FCA the inclusive and fun environment it is today, Kelly Carr is one of them. She is a big leader in the FCA community and has helped inspire kids to grow their relationships in faith and feel welcome. “My favorite part of being involved in FCA is spending time with the students and watching them grow in their faith,” Carr said. The growth of people attending FCA has spiked over this last year. BJHS has around 100 students regularly attending FCA and BHS has around 50 students attending the weekly Wednesday morning meetings.
“We will continue to grow FCA, as the Lord leads us, by helping students plan events where they can grow their faith and share it with their friends, coaches, and teachers,” Carr said “We will continue to promote opportunities for students to attend FCA Leadership training to learn how to become disciples of Jesus that makes more disciples.” Recently FCA hosted a communitywide worship night held in the Performing Arts Center. The PAC was filled with students, faculty, and the Baldwin community members. There were many churches that participated in this as well. Sophomore Wrigley Hamrick started going to FCA this year. He regularly attends the huddles and also attends the Housfires bible studies outside of school. “My favorite part of FCA is the community. It’s cool to see your
friends grow in their faith while having fun,” Hamrick said. “FCA has a very encouraging environment that is fun to be a part of.” Freshman Britton Ediger is also very involved in FCA. She has been to multiple training camps through FCA and attends the morning huddles. “What I most like about FCA is the community and the opportunity to spread and learn more about the gospel. I also really love hearing and seeing how the Lord is working through everyone’s lives. It’s truly mesmerizing,” Ediger said “One word to describe FCA is inspiring, because FCA truly inspired me to grow my faith and to be bold about my faith too. I encourage students to use FCA as a time to take the opportunity to be bold and share and learn about the word of God. FCA is truly an amazing opportunity and we are so incredibly blessed to have it in our school.”
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Ali Peterson Senior Dance Team Captain Fabiola Jordan
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or BHS, dance has a name full of rhythm and discipline—Ali Peterson, a senior who has been part of the team for four years. With multiple practices each week, lessons twice a week, and extra time at home learning routines, Peterson is not only committed to improving her own skills but also to teaching the rest of the team. Leading as a senior is not always easy. Peterson admits that one of the hardest parts is inverting the videos to learn them and the easiest to get every count right. But once she learns them, she finds it easy to share and guide her teammates through the choreography. Dance has been part of Peterson’s life since she was three years old. Still, she doesn’t plan to pursue it professionally. For her, dance is more than competition— it’s fun, a hobby, and a way to connect with others. If she weren’t on the dance team, she says she would dedicate more time to her other passion, which is tennis. Her advice for new members is simple: “Be confident and have fun,” she said. She emphasizes that the team is chill and welcoming, and nobody expects perfection from new members. Instead, the focus is on growth, teamwork, and enjoying the process. When it comes to the difficulty of the routines, Peterson points out that the team dance is more tough because it has the four styles together (Jazz, Hip Hop, Kick, and Pom), the team must master them all to succeed. With years of experience, steady dedication, and a passion for performing, Peterson has become both a leader and an inspiration on the BHS Dance Team.
Cian Macan, the 8th Grade BHS Jazz band student Gobin Hill
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ian Macan, an 8th grader in the Baldwin High School jazz band, began his journey with musical instruments like many kids in the sixth grade. “After the first semester of sixth grade, I switched to tuba, and that’s when I started to really get into band,” Macan said. During the summer between sixth and seventh grade, Macan attended the KU band camp, which played a pivotal role in shaping his musical identity. “I went to KU band camp, and I really loved it,” Macan said.
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As Macan and his parents recognized his potential, he chose to learn two instruments: the tuba and the bass trombone. “Even when you’re learning new notes, keeping the rhythm remains the same,” Macan said. “I want people to know I can ball too.” Expressing his desire to leave a lasting impression. Despite his talent, he dreams even bigger, aspiring to learn a third instrument—the saxophone. As he prepares to become a freshman next year, thoughts of college are already on his mind. “I would like to go to KU because
of that camp.” Macan said. “I also would love to go to Notre Dame.” Despite everything, he still has some short-term goals: “I hope to become the best tuba and bass trombone player at Baldwin,” Macan said. In addition to his musical pursuits, Macan is passionate about sports. He plays football and enjoys being a manager when he can’t play. His love for sports extends off the field as well, particularly his enthusiasm for watching Notre Dame football. Ultimately, it’s not just about picking up a new instrument; he has a genuine desire to immerse himself in music.
BHS cheer captains take the lead Grace Calhoun
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he 2025-26 BHS cheer captains are Sydney Kesinger and Addison Allen. They are both seniors here at BHS. Allen and Kesinger have both been cheering for BHS since their freshman year, and have been improving as a team and independently during their now fourth year on the team. “My favorite thing about being a captain is being someone that the girls can come to and also helping the coaches make decisions,” Kesinger said. “My favorite thing about being a captain is being someone all the girls can talk to,” Allen said. “I love helping out with the coaches and picking out T-shirt designs,” Allen said. Allen and Kesinger both had two different people convince them to try out for the cheer team. “I have always wanted to cheer since I was little and before tryouts for my freshman year Patty told me I should try out,” Kesinger said. While for Allen, she had a close relative convenience her to try something new. “My uncle, Ryan Cox, told me that it never hurts to try out and I haven’t regretted it once.” Allen said. Although both of them love being cheer captains, there’s always different things that could be improved on as a team. “The biggest challenge of being a captain for me is trying to make the team the best it can be while also making the sport fun,” Allen said.
Multi-Sport Coach, Teacher, Father enjoys being a part of Baldwin Phyla Gordon
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had Scoby has been in the Baldwin USD 348 school district for 25 years. He is the head coach in softball, he is the JV coach for high school volleyball, he is also a coach for the high school girls basketball team. Scoby is balancing being a 7th grade math teacher, coach and being an all time dad. “It was a lot harder when I was a beginning teacher because I had to split time between planning for my classroom instruction and practice/ game responsibilities,” Scoby said. “Gaining experience in both areas over the years has allowed me to adapt material instead of creating from scratch, which saves quite a bit of prep time.” Scoby has taken a total of 5 positions to get more involved in
Baldwin. “I enjoy being part of a team that grows together and sacrifices personal accolades for a common goal,” Scoby said. “Baldwin kids work hard and want to compete, so they make the decision to coach easy.” Scoby is also a full time dad to his three daughters. He has been balancing being a coach for two or more sports for about 25 years all in Baldwin. “It’s been a great way to stay involved in the community I grew up in,” Scoby said. “It’s allowed me to actively participate in my daughters’ academic and athletic careers.” One of Scoby’s previous students, Kinsley Scott has enjoyed Scoby very much. “Mr. Scoby was a great teacher. I feel like I could follow along in his class very well,” Scott said “I was never that confused because he always went in depth with his teaching.”
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Applegate’s Passion for Teaching Owen Burgen
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erenice Applegate is one of two Spanish teachers at BHS. 8th grader Gobin Hill enjoys Applegate’s class. “Applegate is nice and has a good teaching ability,” he said “Spanish can lead to better college opportunities and different jobs and better pay in the workforce,” he said, “but rolling your R’s is very hard.” This is Applegate’s second year at BHS, and she has said many times that she likes it here. Applegate used to work in Lawrence. Applegate teaches Spanish 1 and Spanish 2, as well as World Languages, at BJHS, where she instructs students in various languages in a more general
context. In Spanish 1, Applegate teaches the basics of the language and some of the history and culture. Currently, as of writing this, it is Hispanic Heritage month. During Hispanic Heritage month, she teaches about current figures and historical figures that range and vary. “One of my favorite things to teach in both my Spanish classes as well as my World Language Exploration classes is different cultures from around the world,” she said. “There is so much out there to learn, see, and experience, and I love that we get to bring a little bit of that to Baldwin City. I have really enjoyed being able to share my culture and heritage, and bring in guest speakers
to share their experiences and cultures with us in my World Languages class,” she said. It is currently October, which includes Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a Spanish holiday that is celebrated across many cultures. In Applegate’s class, she teaches you about the history and cultures behind the holiday. Applegate likes her students and encourages them to do better. “One of the things that I love most about BHS is all of the kids,” she said. “Every student that I have met here at BHS has been so kind, and they are such great human beings, she said. It makes me so happy to be their teacher. I love that we get to learn, laugh, and connect each day.”
Herrenbruck share more than a teaching bond Grace Calhoun
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acy and Kenneth Herrenbruck are more than just co-workers at BHS. They met at Rock Spring 4-H camp in 2018, and then they tied the knot on Oct. 5, 2024. Macy and Kenneth both really enjoy being able to experience the opportunity of being married and working together. “It is helpful because we can collaborate together on things and since we have a lot of the same students, we can discuss how they are doing in each of our classes,” Macy said. Macy is the Ag teacher and her husband Kenneth Herrenbruck is the Chemistry teacher at BHS. Baldwin officially became an official FFA chapter last year. Macy and Kenneth Herrenbruck said that there is one downside working together. “Sometimes we run out of things
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to talk about since we work in the same environment and experience similar things on a daily basis,” Macy said. The couple doesn’t see each other as much as you would think. Macy and Kenneth Herrenbruck were asked if they see each other often “No, not really since we teach on different floors than each other,” Kenneth said. Junior Mason Hoffman has Kenneth 6th hour class. “I love having him as a teacher. He always has amazing energy and is so funny. He knows how to connect with the students really well. He always will help you with your work if you need it,” Hoffman said.
Freshman Kenzlie Honeycutt has Macy 6th hour as a teacher. “I love having her as a teacher. She’s a very outgoing person and has an amazing personality. I enjoy her class and everyone is always laughing,” Honeycutt said.
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